Post Codes

[spiceskull]

Can someone give the definitive answer to this question please: does EVERY single UK address have a postcode, and if not, what are the conditions for not having a postcode?

Thanks in advance.

[Carol Anne]

Not every dwelling has an address as such. ie. remote moorland farms, crofts etc and therfore do not have a postcode of their own. Mail would be postcoded to the nearest village or rural post office for delivery. Other than that every address in the UK is postcoded but not necessarily individually, in some streets and large buildings as many a s 20 or more could share the same postcode.

[heathfield]

Remote farms and crofts do have postcodes, though they may correspond to a local area rather than an individual property. Obviously they won't have house numbers. A farmer friend often has difficulty with this in trying to order things by telephone. You know the sort of thing...What's your postcode? Ok, now what's your house number? Haven't got one? You must have! No? Well, we can't process your order!

Brand new housing or business developments may be too new to have been given a street name or property number. It is a legal requirement for a local council decide these, and once they have, they will then inform Royal Mail, who will allocate a postcode. Their postcode allocation will normally take between 1 to 5 days.

Many people aren't aware that it's now a Royal Mail requirement that all parcels must bear the sender's postcode.

[Carol Anne]

I too have agricultural chums in Wester Ross, and although the farm is 17 miles out of Thurso, their address is: the name of the farm, Thurso and the postcode of the PO where they collect their own mail. They generally have to fax things through with the explanation about their location and postcode when ordering certain goods. Even correspondence from the Royal mail has the post offices's postcode.

[spiceskull]

Cheers guys - in the main it is a legal requirement, but occasionally the physical reality is such that it becomes impractical...thanks again.

Spicey.